Programme is split into three separate sections

The West covers Lancing and Sompting, where a festival exhibition is being created by community artist Katie Gander and a group of artists from the Royal Voluntary Service at Chesham House. This group has embraced the festival theme of Strange Creatures and is calling the exhibition, There’s Now’t Strange as Folk.

The Worthingaires are hosting an evening of sketches, performance and sing-alongs at St Peter’s Church, in Bowness Avenue, and Lancing Bowling Club will again be hosting an open day.

The Strange Creature Pop-Up Pet Shop will take over the Sompting Big Local hub in Cokeham Road, buzzing with family creativity throughout the festival, as everyone creates their own unusual pet to exhibit, with the help of Jane Gordon from Arts Workshops.

I’m busy planning a celebration right in the heart of Lancing, harking back to the old Lancing Carnival days. There will be a real ale bar and banqueting tables down the high street on May 24. Bring a picnic to share and take in the Black Eagles Acrobats, the Giant Snail from the Insect Circus, Fanfara playing dance music from Macedonia and samba band, The Beach Bateria.

There will be all sorts of puppetry and walkabout theatre and an all-day graffiti workshop for all ages with stencil artist Zeezee Twenty Two.

Clare Milward, of Lancing’s hugely-popular Wot-A-Mess, will be offering really messy play for the young ones and Andrea Ballance, who organised the brilliant Sea of Lights will be inviting you to make sock puppets and a giant Sea Dragon in the street.

There’s a festival meeting planned for next week, on May 7. Come along and join us at Ropetackle 6pm, or get in touch at [email protected].